Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced on Mar. 31 that Robert Davis of Council Bluffs has been convicted of second-degree murder for the killing of Barbara Lenz, who disappeared from Harrison County in 1989. Davis was arrested on March 10, 2025, marking the first arrest made in this case after a renewed investigation by the Iowa Cold Case Unit.
The conviction brings closure to a case that remained unsolved for nearly 37 years. Barbara Lenz was last seen on May 6, 1989, when her boyfriend at the time, Robert Davis, reported dropping her off at her apartment in Woodbine, Iowa. Her disappearance was reported to police by family members eleven days later. Despite numerous leads and searches over the years, Lenz was never found.
Attorney General Bird said: “No one should get away with murder. Barbara Lenz’s family has been waiting nearly 37 years for justice. Today, after long last, they have it. Robert Davis will spend the rest of his life in prison. I am deeply grateful to Cold Case Prosecutor Scott Brown and Harrison County Attorney Sarah Delanty and her office for their hard work in securing this conviction. And thank you again to the investigators in our Iowa Cold Case Unit, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa State Patrol, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Woodbine Police Department who worked hard and never gave up on Barbara’s case.”
Davis’s trial began March 24 at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse and concluded with a jury verdict returned in less than four hours. The prosecution team included Scott Brown from the Attorney General’s office and Sarah Delanty from Harrison County.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 22.
Anyone wishing to submit information regarding cold cases can contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at their provided phone number or email address.
